The check's in the mail -- Pence says it's not over -- SGR, FMAP back in play -- Daniels would repeal reform if elected president

LET THE FALL CAMPAIGN BEGIN — Obama previews the Democrats' fall offensive at his town hall in Wheaton, Md.: Give the Republicans more power in Washington, he says, and "they'd roll back the rebate to help you pay for your medicine if you fall in the doughnut hole. They’d roll back the free preventive care for Medicare recipients. And then away from seniors, they’d roll back all the insurance provisions that make sure that insurance companies aren’t cheating folks who are paying their premiums." Story

THE SECOND FRONT – The administration rolls out its summer campaign to prevent Medicare fraud, which includes radio, TV and print ads that just incidentally let everyone know that those $250 checks are coming. CMS, HHS and the Administration on Aging plan to buy airtime on ethnic radio and in markets with high percentages of Medicare recipients in the donut hole.

HAPPENING TODAY – 10 a.m. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on the development of antibiotics … AdvaMed releases its new report on the economic impact of the medical technology industry … Blue Cross Blue Shield System releases the Good Health Club Physician Toolkit designed to help docs talk to families about childhood obesity.

THE ADMINISTRATION'S 30-SECOND RADIO SCRIPT – “The new Affordable Care Act offers important new benefits to people with Medicare. If you’re enrolled in a Medicare prescription drug plan and enter the donut hole this year, you will receive a one-time, tax- free $250 rebate - if you are not already receiving Medicare Extra Help. After you reach the donut hole, your check will be mailed to the same address Medicare uses to send you information. No need to do anything special AND no need to give ANYONE your personal Medicare information if they call you. If you have any questions visit medicare.gov or call 1-800 Medicare.”

THE JUSTIFICATION – In a letter to state AGs, Sebelius and AG Eric Holder say they want help in a major "outreach" effort because they're hearing "increasing reports about seniors being asked to provide their Social Security numbers in order to receive a ‘donut hole’ check under the new law, raising concerns about potential identity theft scams.”

THE PUSHBACK – From Sen. Tom Coburn: “The $250 bump for the Medicare part D will apply to less than 10 percent of the Medicare patients that are out there, and the ironic thing of that is we are borrowing the money from the very seniors’ grandchildren that we’re going to turn around and give them a $250 check for."

WHAT WE'RE WONDERING – The administration is spending a lot of time talking about the checks, which will be popular among those seniors who qualify. But won’t it be a letdown to all the others, who are hearing about the “donut hole” closing but won’t see a check or the benefits of the hole closing for a couple years?

GOP STRUGGLING TO MESSAGE HCR – Republicans hoped to use the summer and fall to foment discontent with the law, building a wave of unhappiness that would wash them back into the majority come November. But with pictures from the Gulf of Mexico dominating news coverage — and even some sympathetic lobbyists having moved on — the party is struggling to get traction with its critiques. “I’ve felt like, inevitably, people’s memories are short and move to the crisis du jour, whether it’s the stock market or the euro or BP,” lamented one Republican health care consultant. Sarah Kliff’s story

BUT SEE – "The administration and congressional Democrats think the debate over health-care reform is in the rearview mirror, but they couldn't be more wrong," Rep. Mike Pence, the third-ranking Republican in the House, tells the Washington Post. "House Republicans will not rest until we repeal Obamacare lock, stock and barrel."

DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING – Sen. Lamar Alexander got his Medicare brochure at his Tennessee home recently and, predictably enough, wasn’t happy about it. “I’m one of those Americans who are 65 or older, so I’m a part of Medicare and I was interested to read the brochure because I spent a lot of time on the new health care law,” he said on the Senate floor. “As I read through this brochure, it didn’t bear very much relationship to the way I understood the law that I voted on Christmas Eve at the end of last year when we passed this health care law.”

SGR, FMAP BACK IN PLAY – Harry Reid says he expects the House to support an extension of the FMAP that Democrats plan to insert into the extenders bill. The bill will repair the SGR through 2011, but Democrats are also working on an amendment that would stretch that to 3.5 years.

SO HOW'D HE PLAY IN PA? – The York Daily Record’s Tom Joyce watches with seniors at the White Rose Senior Center in York, Pa. and says that, "if Obama's intention was to re-assure seniors, it appeared to have worked for the crowd at the White Rose center. Afterward, in response to a request by the National Council on Aging, they conducted a poll by show-of-hands. Nineteen of the assembled seniors raised their hands when asked how many feel they will be better off as a result of the new law. None raised their hands when asked how many feel they will be worse off.”

WHAT ELSE WE'RE READING:

PELOSI HECKLED BY CODE PINK – “Raucous demonstrators greeted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at a gathering of progressive activists in Washington on Tuesday morning, forcing her to yell her 28-minute policy speech over their loud and uninterrupted protests. … The protesters said they were members of ADAPT, an activist group that advocates for disability rights and is fighting for passage of the Community Choice Act. The bill was introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) in 2009 but has not advanced out of the Finance Committee. In the House, a similar measure remains in the Committee on Energy and Commerce.” Washington Post story

DANIELS WOULD REPEAL LAW AS PREZ – Modern Healthcare’s Jennifer Lubell reports: "If elected president, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said he wouldn't hesitate in repealing the current health reform law 'as long as it's accompanied by a very meaningful and genuine reform of the system' that reflects consumer interests. The Republican governor, who worked as director of the White House Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush and for Eli Lilly and Co., has been pegged as a likely candidate to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2012."

Authors:

About The Author

Jennifer Haberkorn is a senior health care reporter for POLITICO Pro. She’s covered the Affordable Care Act since it was being debated in Congress in 2009. Since then, she has written about the law from Capitol Hill, the federal agencies, the courts and outside the Beltway.

Before arriving at POLITICO, Haberkorn covered Congress and local business news for The Washington Times. Her work has also appeared in Health Affairs and The New Republic.

Haberkorn is a graduate of Marquette University, where she majored in journalism and served as editor of The Marquette Tribune.

About The Author

Sarah Kliff is a health care reporter for POLITICO Pro. As a writer for POLITICO, she has covered how federal regulation, Congress and lobbying affect the implementation of health care reform. She previously co-authored Pulse, a daily health policy briefing.

Prior to joining POLITICO, Kliff was a staff writer at Newsweek, where she covered issues at the intersection of health and politics. She also covered the 2008 election, traveling with Joe Biden and contributing reports to multiple Newsweek cover stories. She has also written for National Geographic, St. Louis Magazine and Humanities magazine.

Kliff attended Washington University in St. Louis, where she was editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, Student Life. She grew up in Seattle and Toronto, cities that have left her a big fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and coffee.